Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 780

Everything was perfectly aligned, and Ethan was more than eager to ship this nightmare of a family off as soon as possible. He corralled the group toward the rooftop, doing a quick headcount as they walked. Once everyone was accounted for, he instructed them to line up and board the aircraft in an orderly fashion.

"Alright, everyone, there's your ride," Ethan announced. "The flight attendants are ready for you. Form a single line, stay together, and head on up."

A row of flight attendants stood by the stairs, gesturing politely to welcome them aboard. This was the first time any of them had ever been up close to a private aircraft; previously, the closest they'd gotten was spotting planes as tiny specks flying low over their mountain village. Fascinated, they moved at a painfully slow pace, gawking at the sleek machine.

Ethan's patience was wearing extremely thin. "Pick up the pace, folks! Time waits for no one. You have a cruise ship to catch, and unlike this plane, we didn't charter the boat. It leaves right on schedule. If you miss it, you'll be stuck waiting in a port for days."

Panicked at the thought of missing their luxury cruise, the crowd practically trampled each other to get inside. Once on board, the flight attendants patiently demonstrated how to buckle their seatbelts.

Ethan brought up the rear, guiding Dolores onto the plane and personally buckling her securely into a seat near the door.

Emily peeked over. "Mr. Hayes, are you escorting us all the way?"

"I don't have that kind of time," Ethan replied smoothly. "But Ms. Mercer wanted to ensure you received top-tier service. Since you aren't familiar with transferring from a private flight to a cruise terminal, she didn't want you to feel neglected by handing you off to a stranger. So, I'm taking a few hours tonight to make sure you get on that ship safely. Then I'm flying right back so I can be at work tomorrow."

"Wow, Mr. Hayes, you're working so hard! You're such a good man."

"Absolutely. There's nothing Ms. Mercer loves more than helping people out," Ethan deadpanned. "And luckily, she has the deep pockets to do it. Most folks couldn't afford to be this generous even if they wanted to."

"Our Candy is so incredibly lucky," Emily sighed happily, using Celia's nickname. "We thought she was ruining her career when she left her last job. Who knew she'd stumble into a boss like Ms. Mercer? She must be pulling in a fortune now, right? Way more than thousands a month?"

Ethan nodded in faux agreement. "Oh, without a doubt. Miss Bennett is a senior engineer. She's exceptionally talented. Anyway, your family can just sit back and enjoy the luxury. Your best days are ahead of you. By the time you finish your world tour, you'll be completely different people. You won't be anything like the folks who lived in the mountains."

Ethan was a master at spinning a web of lies. As for how brutally their illusions would be shattered later? That wasn't his problem.